


Tom/Thom.  1-4/4.

by punky_96



Series: Tom/Thom [1]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 15:17:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14215944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punky_96/pseuds/punky_96
Summary: Re-post from LJ.  Gosh the years are getting closer to the ones in the fic.  lol.Nineteen years since Paris and time has marched on.  Tom/Thom is the primary pairing in this fic.





	1. One

_**Tom/Thom**_  
  
Blue eyes were not generally referred to as doe-eyes; however, the glimmer of Penny’s eyes as she shared a final moment with her mom could not be mistaken for anything other than doe-like. Her blond unruly hair gave her the appearance of a cherub, however her father’s smirk was anything but angelic. Andy could not bring herself to mind. Of all the things for her daughter to inherit from him—a mischievous smirk was the least of her worries. Andy was beyond pleased that her daughter had not displayed the same flair for romantic one-liners that her father did. Her secret joy was that he only passed onto his daughter a smirk, his name and a passion for life.  
  
Penny was valedictorian in her class at Santa Monica High School and she had chosen to stay close to home by attending UC Irvine just over an hour’s drive away. The two had only ever had each other to rely on and the distance had taken some getting used to during her first year at college. Andy wanted her to live on campus or in an apartment once she found friends instead of living at home and commuting. “Independence when you could still run home was a luxury that could be afforded in college. Penny, you’ll thank me for the gentle push and firm support later. Believe me.”  
  
Smiling at her mom, Penny acknowledged her words.  “I know, Mom. When you moved to New York with Nate, you had your eyes opened in a rude way and you were far away from home on top of it.”  
  
“Precisely.” Andy said as she ruffled her daughter’s hair. “So you get to have your eyes opened a little bit by going away to college, but still having me near by. Like training wheels. I don’t want you to go through the spirit breaking that I had to do, because I was too naïve.”  
  
Kissing her mom on the cheek Penny acquiesced, “Okay, Mom.”  
  
Andy tried to blink back the tears as she drove back to Santa Monica after having moved Penny into her dorm room for the year. Nineteen years ago she was a lost woman in an unfortunate position—recently unemployed, knocked up by the dazzle of Paris lights, and alone in the Big City. It wasn’t easy to be a pregnant couch surfer in New York, but she had managed to navigate her way through nine months of weird to arrive on the other side a mother, a successful reporter and her own force of nature to be reckoned with. She might have arrived at the feet of Lady Liberty a wisp of a girl, but she came out of the fire tough as steel and forged into a woman of substance. Andy had left the Dragonlady and lived to tell the tale, even if she was her greatest disappointment. Andy had looked around her and she saw that New York shone for many reasons, but her senses had been burned by the intensity of her experiences. Lost love in more than one sense and with more than one person had left her heart hurting. Chasing down work, endlessly at the bottom, left her tired at the end of the day when she returned to her pride and joy and tried to eek out an existence. Occasionally she thought of Miranda juggling her work, life, and the twins. It was madness to miss her, and even closer to hell to be jealous, but just once in a while Andy had to admit that she missed the woman and wondered at how she had managed to shower so much love on her twins, even if they only ever experienced it in her cold way.  
  
Penny was successful and her life in Santa Monica had been relatively charmed. Her work at the Mirror and Miranda’s name on her resume had opened a door for Andy at a small magazine that was trying to launch on a hope and a prayer. It was a chance for both Andy and the magazine, but in no time success could not be denied and the reputations of both reached across the country. Underground artists from every realm were the focus of the magazine and Andy found that her time at Runway gave her an unerring eye for the next hot thing. It gave her a certain amount of secret satisfaction that many of the fashion ideas featured first in her magazine later found their way onto the pages of Runway and Vogue. Andy carefully avoided having her name publicly associated with the fashion end of the enterprise, but she had become so important to the magazine that her approval stamped every aspect of the magazine. When the two founders of the magazine had a falling out, Andy found herself in charge of the operation with two silent enemies as financial supporters and laissez faire owners.  
  
It had been difficult to balance her work, but Penny had been an oddly suited child to the hustle and bustle of life with the de facto magazine editor that was her mom. Her innate charm captivated staff and being the daughter of the boss created a protective bubble under which Penny was endlessly fawned over and enveloped in the love of an insane but very loving extended family. It was rare, but Andy remembered that final conversation with her former boss. “Everyone wants to be us.” Andy would shudder at the remembered simultaneous thrill and nausea that the word “us” had caused in her. Andy had to admit to herself that she wanted a certain amount of what Miranda was referring to. The cars, the lights, the travel, the fashion, the glamour and the attention were all very intoxicating. However Andy did not want to be Miranda. She did not want to be in situations where she had to save herself from constant attacks and occasionally had to throw her long-time esteemed colleagues, maybe even friends, under the bus.  
  
It was those late nights that Andy would drag herself away from whatever deadline had pretended it was important and she would shift it until the morning. She would take herself home and lay next to her daughter telling her how important she was. Often she would fall asleep still fully clothed on top of the blankets because she was overcome from fatigue. While Andy rejected being like Miranda and congratulated herself for becoming an editor similar in status to the esteemed Fashion Queen, a little voice in her head pointed out that Runway was a much larger enterprise. This didn’t excuse her behavior, but Miranda’s editor life was more complicated than Andy’s. Except when she held both magazines in her hands she saw the same glossy paper, quality layouts and number of pages and advertisements.  
  
Andy loved her life and felt fulfilled. She knew that she would look back at the end of it and feel that she had lived for herself and not made compromises. Would she have gotten pregnant the way that she did and without a partner? Perhaps not, but she couldn’t wish anything had been different either. From the first moment she had realized the truth of her pregnancy she had loved Penny with that unwavering devotion of a mother. Her parents were horrified, but then again they were horrified a lot in those years. Moving with Nate to New York and sharing an apartment had been just the beginning of the shocks that they had undergone in those days.  
  
Fulfilled and full of life Andy couldn’t have been more pleased that Penny had chosen a path unlikely to be filled with such shark infested waters. A Social Science and Comparative Literature Major with constantly good grades, it would seem that Penny was on a path toward a professorship, or writer like her father, or historian. Andy sighed. As long as she didn’t have to intern for the Dragonlady, she would be better than fine.  
  
Andy arrived home and was pleased to see a message from her daughter. A silent tear slid down her face as she listened to the youthful voice tell her to take care of herself and to do something with her time besides work and hanging out alone at the house. She ended by saying she would call her over the weekend.  After the message Andy found herself alone in the silence of the darkening house that had been made for two and now only held one. Andy poured herself a glass of wine and sat on the couch petting Penny’s cat, Rufio. Andy hated the name especially because in high school all of Penny’s friends had called him Roofy like he was the date rape drug or something. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much, but it most certainly did. She had taken to keeping the cat in her room, when she knew Penny was going to have friends over. Every once in a while it occurred to her that the cat’s name was Rufio and she liked that he had all of his syllables and was affronted by the shortening of his proper name. When this thought flittered through her mind, she shook it off and went to check on her daughter whose blue eyes always helped her to focus on the present.  
  
***  
  
Penny could not believe her luck. The TA for English 020B, Introduction to American Literary Tradition, was Carol Tomlinson. She could not think of anything better than discussing Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Dickinson (or anything else on the planet for that matter) with Carol Tomlinson. Last Spring Penny had become completely enraptured with Ms. Tomlinson in her third quarter English 001C Applied Intermediate Composition class. It had been ten weeks of torture as Penny drooled over her teacher’s voice, piercing blue eyes, and warm but aloof demeanor—and good lord her lectures on the finer points of writing as applied to film analysis and related works of literature. Penny ate it all up with a spoon and chose then and there to be a disciple at the feet of Rhetoric. Ms. Tomlinson did not let many personal details drop, but her inclusion of Gay and Lesbian works as literature that they would write from was the source of Penny’s flickering hope that Ms. Tomlinson would someday let her call her Carol.  
  
At the end of those ten weeks Penny had received an invitation to coffee that ran into dinner and lifted Penny’s hopes above the clouds. Ms. Tomlinson thought that she was an excellent writer when she was focused and cautioned her against losing that focus under the pressures of a double major. Penny was surprised that Ms. Tomlinson knew anything about that, but she laughed like liquid gold and said that Penny was not unknown in the English Department. Her other instructors had noticed her as well, and as they compared future students declaring English as their major they looked forward to the bright sparks that they saw each year. Penny was one of those bright sparks. Penny could have been run over by a truck for all she cared as she levitated back to the dorm to finish packing. The brightness had faded somewhat over the summer as the days drew on and it was clear that there would only be that one shining afternoon between them.  
  
Penny had dated a couple of girls in high school, but it had never been anything too serious. During the first two quarters of her college freshman year she had even carried on a relationship that spanned into parts of both quarters with a girl down the hall in her dorm building. None of them had affected her as much as the feelings that Penny had for her instructor Ms. Tomlinson who was ten years her senior. Over the summer Penny had told her mom about her tendency towards dating women. Penny had known it would ultimately be okay, but she had expected an initial freak out from her mom. It took some time, but it slowly dawned on Penny that either her mom already suspected it or had some tendencies herself. It was at that point that Penny realized that her mom had never dated in all the years that she had been carving a career out for herself and raising her. They had a very frank conversation over dinner one night on a restaurant patio on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.  
  
It was then that Andy had admitted to her daughter that she did have an eye that wandered in that direction, but that she had always considered herself too busy or not interested enough to bother about it. Penny had developed a concern for her mother over the summer as she realized that she was leaving her behind and she would be alone. It had become her mission to encourage her mother’s branching out socially, which just made her mother shrug and laugh dismissively. When Penny pushed the issue she received a very pointed glare that her mother rarely used and could easily have melted flesh off of people. Penny wondered where that look had come from, but didn’t dare ask. Andy had made it very clear to her daughter that meddling would not be appreciated and that when she met someone that inspired her heart she would follow it. Penny had left it alone thinking that she would return to it later.  
  
The first day of class however revived the not long forgotten fires of Penny’s heart as she entered the large lecture hall of English 134 American Literature, 1945 to the present. Mr. Fahey had been on her schedule as TA, but to her surprise it was announced that Mr. Fahey had accepted a position in Oregon and his students would be in the capable hands of Ms. Tomlinson. The first glance of Ms. Tomlinson’s red hair, glasses, and pencil skirt coupled with a black blouse and jacket took Penny's breath away, and swept all concerns over her mother’s social life or love life right out of her mind.  
  
***  
  
“Are you taking English 132 and 133, Penny?”  
  
Penny tilted her head in question locking blue eyes on blue eyes. She wasn’t sure what the right answer was and she just wanted to stay a little longer in the tiny office with Ms. Tomlinson. She had taken the classes last year but if Ms. Tomlinson was asking because she would like to see Penny in them, then she would take them again in a heartbeat.  
  
“Penny?” Her voice was thick with an unidentifiable emotion and Penny felt a chill go down her spine as Ms. Tomlinson said it.  
  
Glumly she answered her. “No. I took them last year. But if I knew you’d be the TA this year, I would’ve put them off.” Penny’s hand clapped over her mouth too late as she realized that her decision to be honest had opened a floodgate in her brain.  
  
Ms. Tomlinson tilted her head and her eyes swept up and down Penny as she internally made a decision of some kind. Her slender fingers pulled her glasses off and in reflex she used her chin to close the glass arms without her gaze on Penny wavering. It was unnerving and Penny dropped her hand over her other one in her lap to contain the fidgeting. Ms. Tomlinson did not tolerate time-wasters, fidgeting, or mindless chatter. Her time was for solid questions, confident gestures, and in depth discussions of writing, theory, rhetoric and culture. Penny was glad that she had never fallen into the time-waster category, but in her own mind she skirted the edge of allowable fidgeting in fear. She had seen the looks Mr. Tomlinson gave to those mortals less fortunate than her. It was a look that could melt flesh off of people and her voice went low so that the simpleton being addressed was forced to lean forward to pay rapt attention as she scathingly answered their question in the simplest language she could. This leaning forward of the hapless wonder always made Penny look up to the ceiling.  She knew it was unlikely but she suspected that guillotene blades could easily be rigged over each and every seat.  It was a dark daydream but she could just imagine Ms. Tomlinson finally tired of the conversation and simply putting the poor unfortunate soul out of their misery.  
  
The silence had stretched too far and Penny couldn’t believe that she was so close to Ms. Tomlinson and thinking about the possibility that she might be as ruthless as Maximilien Robespierre. Penny looked back to Ms. Tomlinson and those thoughts were replaced with a familiar flash of desire that swept through her body and soaked her panties. Penny resolutely refused not to break this silence though. In her mind she had already revealed too much and would not do so again.  
  
“I am glad you will not be in my classes the rest of the year.” Penny’s mouth dropped at the coldness of her tone and she risked looking into Ms. Tomlinson's eyes. Penny found only amusement and she stood with a huff and turned to leave. “I don’t want the distraction.” Ms. Tomlinson’s voice was in her ear and her arm had reached around her to hold the door shut. It was almost an embrace with her body flush against Penny’s. The sudden proximity caused Penny to stop breathing. “You distract me, Penny. I can’t work with you in the class anymore.” Her voice was quiet, soft as it caressed Penny’s ear and smoothed the sting of her earlier comment. Penny steeled herself and turned on the spot not wanting to make anymore contact with Ms. Tomlinson than she already had for fear of having misread the situation. Penny sought out Ms. Tomlinson's eyes and let out a whimper at the desire and confusion she found there.  
  
“I distract you.” Penny said in a voice she was sure she had outgrown when she was three.  
  
Ms. Tomlinson licked her lips and blinked her eyes, both slowly, as if it took all her concentration to do so. She pulled her arm back from the door and Penny whimpered at the loss of contact when it was gone. Ms. Tomlinson stepped back and as she turned to sit she smoothed her skirt back behind her and kicked her leg up under her. “I hope I am not out of line, Penny. If my thoughts are out of line, I assure you that I am sorry. I would not want to do anything to make you uncomfortable. I just needed to know if you would be in the classes or not.”  
  
Penny found herself standing in a position of power over her uncertain instructor, or former instructor. That was what they were making certain of at this moment, wasn’t it? “I won’t distract you anymore, Ms. Tomlinson.” Penny said as she tried to read the beautiful redhead's face. When Ms. Tomlinson's body was flush against her and she prevented Penny from leaving the office it had seemed that she wanted the same thing that Penny had wanted for so long as well. Now in this awkwardly formal conversation it seemed that she simply wanted to rid herself of a problem. Penny wasn’t sure how to proceed, not wanting to be too forward either. Perhaps they were suffering from the same dilemma. Penny found herself wondering what her mom would do in this situation. It was an odd thought she supposed, but her mom had been in any number of social situations and had a flair for having the right thing to say. Penny was saved from the decision when Ms. Tomlinson broke the silence.  
  
“Would you call me, Carol?” Ms. Tomlinson asked as her eyes warmed and her lip curved into an inviting smile.  
  
It might not be the right thing to say, but Penny had a mischievous streak that she was sure wasn’t from her mother and it flared up at the oddest times, “You want me to call you Carol, but you don’t want me in your classes? Is that right?” Penny crossed the office and leaned against Carol’s desk causing her to turn around in her chair and face her. Carol looked at her curiously, waiting for a trap, but she nodded the affirmative. “Then I will call you Carol, because that implies that although you don’t want me in class, you do want to see me again—so, I can call you Carol.” Penny knew that her former instructor was sweating this out, if not physically, then mentally, so she took pity on her and smiled while locking her blue eyes on Carol’s.  
  
 ** _Carol_**. Inside Penny was singing and dancing and doing all kinds of jubilant things. When Carol returned the smile the jubilant things in Penny’s mind went into the bedroom and closed the door. Penny wanted to jump into the chair with Carol and communicate via body language, but she somehow felt that Carol would want to be a little more sedate and formal in a romantic relationship. Penny hugged her arms over her middle to keep her hands to herself. Carol must have read her mind because she got up and went to the door saying, “I’ll call you once grades are posted, Penny.” Anticipating her move Penny had closed the distance between them mirroring Carol’s earlier actions by reaching around her to hold the door shut and then whispering in her ear.  
  
The thrill of hearing Carol’s breath catch in her throat, shot through Penny like a lighting bolt. Knowing how close her lips were to Carol’s earlobe sent a fresh wave of desire through her and she felt her nipples pebble under her t-shirt and against Carol’s back. “Don’t I at least get a kiss?” Carol went stiff and seconds ticked off as so many heartbeats went by. Penny had just enough time to bite her lip and begin to doubt when Carol turned on the spot and pulled her in for a heated kiss. Penny was caught off guard and had to balance herself with a half step, but then she turned it on Carol pushing her against the door of her own office. The kiss was passionate, but all too short. Neither was satisfied in the slightest when Carol forcefully pushed Penny away and told her she would call after grades were posted. Penny leaned in and captured her lips once more in a chaste kiss.  Then Penny wished Carol a happy holiday before she pulled the door open and with a wink disappeared out into the hall. Carol slumped into her chair and spun for several youthful turns before she could stop herself. Smiling like an idiot could not be helped, but spinning like a 12 year old could be stopped immediately.  
  
***  
  
Waiting. Waiting had never been Penny’s strong suit. Grades were posted a week and a half after her conversation with Ms. Tomlinson—Carol. Penny still smiled like the cat that got the cream when she thought of it, ‘Would you call me, Carol?’ Her skin still flushed when she thought of their awkward encounter in the small office. Penny knew that Carol was busy and that she said she would call her, but each day that passed was slowly driving her insane. If Carol waited until classes resumed it would be another three weeks before Penny would get to hear her voice let alone see her. It just wasn’t enough and she wasn’t even sure how they would proceed—Carol had been almost aloof until Penny kissed her and then it was overwhelmingly passionate. Penny wasn’t sure how aloof and formal Carol might be when they resumed their acquaintanceship in the New Year. Her heart swelled to think that they had anything to resume, but she was also sad that acquaintanceship was the only word she could settle upon for their interactions. Penny hoped to be able to say (at least in her mind) that they were dating, or having an affair, or maybe even that Carol Tomlinson would let her call her girlfriend at some point.  
  
The syllabus was in her hand. She had carried it with her to move home for the Winter Break and she had kept it with her at all times. The syllabus had the relevant course info for the English 134 class including her instructor’s phone number. Penny had stared at the numbers for many stolen minutes ever since the class had ended. She wanted to program the number into her phone, but knew that it would just make the temptation to call Carol that much greater. So instead she stared at the syllabus whenever she had a free moment.  
  
Penny was glad to see that her mom had made an effort to make some friends and she had even started having dinner with the neighbor lady once a week. They alternated who cooked and at what house and occasionally went out to eat as well or even took in a movie. Although Andy and Penny had lived in the same house for many years despite Andy’s increasing income over the years they hadn’t really spent much time with the neighbors. Penny had a few friends in nearby blocks, but their street had never really been that friendly to the single mom and her daughter. The neighborhood was very nice and Penny had always thought she was lucky to live in such a nice development of unique houses with large yards, but many of the neighbors were older and had no time for little girls and slip-n-slides in the front lawn. The neighbor that her mom was spending time with had only moved in last year with her husband. Over the summer Penny knew that her husband had been rushed to the hospital for a heart attack and had passed away. The woman had stayed on and somehow Andy had started talking to her.  
  
Andy had always loved visiting the Promenade at the beach in Santa Monica and the two of them always took some time on Penny's longer visits to go and walk around. People watching in Santa Monica was almost a sport. They always had a good time, drank too much coffee, and bought some books or other things that caught their fancy. This time Andy made sure to ask how Penny was doing. She seemed different in a good way and Andy wanted to make sure that she didn’t miss out on a chance to bond with her daughter over some positive force in her life. She had known it was hard for her daughter to talk to her in June when classes ended. She had let the topic go, knowing that her daughter would let her know when she had something to tell her. Penny admitted that she was happy and that she had a crush on someone at school, but Andy could tell that she was still holding back. Andy pressed and Penny admitted that she wasn’t sure where it was going and so she didn’t want to share yet. Her honest smile and sparkling eyes were enough to convince Andy to let her girl keep the moment to herself for now. She wrapped her hand around her daughter’s and told her that she supported her no matter what and could always talk to her if she needed that.  
  
In the later afternoon they returned and Andy got ready for her dinner with the neighbor. Penny found herself alone in her childhood home. Her daydreams covered the spectrum of her life from moving in when she was five to the Christmas morning that her mom had woken her up with Rufio when she was eight. He purred so loudly that Penny was slightly afraid, but Andy had pet him and shown Penny what to do and soon he was her new best friend. Once again the syllabus was in her hand, this time her cell phone was in her other hand. Penny figured it was a little early for dinner and so hopefully she wouldn’t be disturbing Carol. Of course Carol could always just not answer if it was inconvenient.  
  
“Hello?” It could have been Carol’s voice, but for some reason Penny wasn’t convinced. Maybe it was her nerves? Penny contemplated hanging up. She had sat there for too long and the voice tried again in a frustrated tone. “Hello? If you called to talk, you should get started instead of wasting time.”  
  
Penny looked at the phone as if an alien had stuck a poker through it into her ear. That was almost Carol’s voice, but it wasn’t. Quickly to avoid being hung up on Penny fairly squeaked, “Ms. Tomlinson? Uh, I had a question about my grade, if you’ve a moment.” Her heart beating in her throat didn’t do anything to help her voice sound normal. She felt weird enough calling Carol when she shouldn’t, getting someone else’s voice, and lying about her call on top of it. What she heard next only further served to deepen the mystery.  
  
“Car? One of your kids is calling.” You could hear the voice roll its eyes. “Some question about a grade.” The phone was obviously being held to the side, but the voice was still clear to hear as it imitated Penny. “‘Ms. Tomlinson? Uh, I had a question about my grade, if you’ve a moment.’” Penny’s face felt hot and she knew that she was at least three shades redder than she occurred in nature. “I swear, Car, why do you have to give them your number.” Penny took in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. This wasn’t good. She at least took comfort in the fact that she had the right number and that Carol would be on the phone shortly.  
  
She however began to immediately doubt if Carol would want to be on the phone with her.  
  
“Hello?” Penny couldn’t help but smile through her worry as she heard the sharp, though familiar tone of Carol. “Who is this?”  
  
“It’s me, Penny.” She managed to say clearly, although rather quietly. There was a silence.  
  
“Cass said you had a question about your grade, Ms. Thompson.” There was business in that voice, but not malice.  
  
“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have called, but I had no idea when you would call and if I had to wait until classes started again, then I thought it had been too long. I can let you go. I just wanted to hear your voice.”  
  
“Ms. Thompson,” Carol began. “Your final paper made some very good points, but you seemed impatient in your writing. Do you remember our last conversation when I told you about waiting?”  
  
Penny’s mouth dropped as she realized what was going on. Carol couldn’t talk to her personally right now, but since she had started with a question about the class, then she could thinly veil her answers. Carol was not only not mad at her, but she wanted to talk to her at least a little bit. “I remember. Can I still call you Carol?”  
  
“Ms. Thompson, you know how much I enjoy repeating myself.”  
  
“I’ve missed you.”  
  
“Be that as it may, in any writing endeavor there needs to be a structure and a build up.”  
  
“Where are you?”  
  
“When I return from New York and classes resume we can meet to discuss your paper further, Ms. Thompson.”  
  
Penny was so busy smiling from ear to ear that she at first didn’t realize that Carol had hung up on her without any kind of goodbye or even allowing Penny to say anything. Then she reviewed the conversation in her head word for word and realized it didn’t matter—Carol had said that there needed to be build up and that they would meet again. Penny fell back on her bed and smiled at the ceiling. She had not felt this happy since she had shared a first kiss with Paige Prescott during sophomore year of high school. Without having any dinner Penny fell into a pleasant slumber filled with happy dreams of going back to school in January and seeking out Carol.  
  
***  
  
Their mother did not even appear to notice that a phone call had come in. She was busy reviewing proposals and other business papers that frankly bored both girls stiff. Carol knew it was her dumb luck that as soon as she went upstairs to get a sweatshirt that her phone would ring in the kitchen. Of course it was her sisterly duty even after all these years and Cassidy had to answer her phone and talk to whoever had called at such an inopportune moment. She wasn’t expecting any phone calls, but a tiny part of her had hoped it was Penny. She had told her to wait for her call, but part of her knew that it was a silly request. This was the same part that hoped Penny wouldn’t listen to her and would find a way to call her before vacation was over. Carol, to avoid her own temptation of calling, had left Penny’s number at home in California. She had just about decided that was a stupid plan when her sister was offering her the phone.  
  
She couldn’t believe her sister teasing the caller and then making fun of them as she held the phone out to her and then snatched it back in order to finish her biting remarks. Through many years of experience Carol knew that if she made a break for privacy that would just intensify the third degree that she would receive. So she had decided to take the call in front of her sister regardless of who was calling. She was relieved when Cass had given away that it was a ‘business’ call. She could step into the role of instructor instantly. It had been almost fun to speak to Penny in such coded language. Carol knew that her heart rate had spiked, but she had hoped that she would not flush and give everything away. Cass was merciless when she knew she was on to something.  
  
As it was her eyebrow shot up when Carol put the phone down. “What?” She snapped at Cass.  
  
Glancing to the phone and then back to her sister, Cass observed.  “You were awfully nice to her, Car. Are you going soft?”  
  
Carol tried for a snort. “What?  No.  Was I really too soft on her?”  
  
“Since when does Tough Tomlinson explain concepts more than once? On her vacation? After grades have already been posted?”  
  
Carol had been worried about blushing, unfortunately she should have been also worried about blanching. All the blood had drained from her face as Cass carried on. She knew that her sister was on to something and wouldn’t let it go. The dread settled with all of her blood in her stomach.  
  
“Hmm. That’s quite a reaction, Car. I think that I was more right than I realized. You were soft on her—specifically her. You started with your normal Ms. Tomlinson voice and then it faded out, but you kept the formality. Just like mom.” Cass covered her laughing mouth with her hand and ran out of the room where she joined their mom in her study once again. Carol pursued her and drew up short on the threshold as her mother looked up and pinned her with icy blue eyes. Carol looked down and she could feel the physical presence of her mother’s gaze lift. She looked up and saw her mother staring Cass down. Carol only thought she was worried about a blush or a blanch earlier. Now she was gripped with sheer terror at what her mother might ask and Cass might answer. Carol wasn’t sure if she was ready to share the truth, but she wasn’t sure that Cassidy’s half information would help her either.  
  
“I’m not done yet.” Their mother began in an icy tone. Holiday or no holiday there was work to be done. It was different from when they were kids since she wasn’t the editor anymore, but now it seemed like the natural breaks or rhythm of Runway had been replaced by different stressors that just never ended. “What is so funny you had to run in here, Cassidy Priestly?”  
  
Cassidy sobered up immediately at that tone and the use of her last name. She suddenly looked to her sister knowing that this was not the time or place. Without talking they used their twin language to make a pact to not embarrass Caroline to their mother and discuss it later. “Oh, Car got another phone call from one of her students. I think she has a crush on Car. It was funny to watch her try to be nice to the girl.”  
  
Carol was in the process of twin-speaking her sister to shut the hell up, when she felt the gaze again. Her mother was looking her up and down as if sizing her up for a fashion shoot or to sell as a slave on the black market. Or, oh, Carol inwardly groaned—or the look she had given her when she tried to set her up, almost this same time last year. In silent twin-speak Carol told Cassidy in no uncertain terms that she would kick her very soundly in the shins as soon as they were alone. Cassidy even winced as she got the message.  
  
“Friday night you will attend the dinner with me, Caroline. If you want to come, Cassidy, then by all means please do so.”  
  
It was generally regarded as suicide—career or personal—to refuse Miranda Priestly. Refusing was on the same level as questioning and the offenses were treated equally in almost every case. There were no special pardons or favors for them because they were her daughters. Yet, Caroline felt the need to avoid the special brand of torture that would be accompanying her mother to the dinner. She instead admired the practitioners of hari kari or those kamikazes. Keeping their tradition she flatly said, “No, Mom. I won’t go to dinner on Friday. I don’t want to be set up. First of all last time was a disaster. Second these people all live in New York and I’m quite happy in California. And third, I just really don’t want to go.”  
  
“What upsets you the most, Caroline?” The twitch at the corner of her mother’s mouth was a warning sign that Caroline registered and blatantly ignored.  
  
“The set up. And the pretense. I’ve moved away, Mom. Started a new life away from all of this.” Caroline motioned around the room generally indicating the empire that Miranda had built around herself and tried to cage her daughters in with.  "I don't even use your name,"  Carol finished in a whisper.  
  
“I just want you to be happy, Bobbsey. Cassidy is happy with that Jeremy fellow. You should be happy too.”  
  
“I am, Mom. I am very happy and very fulfilled with the work that I do. I hope that you understand I’m just waiting for the right spark to come along. I want to be sure.”  
  
Miranda opened her mouth to reply, but it died in her throat. She had not ever waited and the result had been three marriages ending in trial by tabloid. On the other hand the one time she had waited and tried to be sure—she had waited too long and then there was nothing to wonder about let alone find to be sure. “Be careful of those young co-eds. I’m sure they look up to you. Professionalism and propriety, Caroline. You must uphold your image and maintain your respect on campus. It wouldn’t do to be thought of as encouraging a young affair, would it?”  
  
Carol wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. Never had her mother made such a comment about her daughters’ reputations or warned them against the dangers of having a younger lover. Carol frowned and asked herself why she chose that word. A light bulb of sorts went on. Their mother had at some point dealt with many crushes and perhaps one of them had threatened to damage her reputation. Carol couldn’t wait to talk to Cassidy about her latest theory. Although they had drifted away from their mother and both moved out to California—their mother, Miranda Priestly, was still a mystery that they wanted to solve. Carol realized that they only had to go through about 50 years worth of vague information about their mother in order to possibly, maybe uncover a truth that had slipped away unseen many years ago.  
  
***  
  
Knowing she was a bear when she traveled, Carol called Penny to ask for a date the day after she returned. She hoped that this would let Penny know she was interested, and avoid the anxious desire to see each other immediately. Carol did not want to step out of the airport in a foul mood and then discourage Penny’s interest. If they were to become a long-term item, then there was plenty enough time to show the traveling bear. Besides, she had been able to avoid telling Cassidy any more information for the remainder of their trip and it would have been more than she could keep quiet if Cass saw Penny at the airport. Carol was filled with excitement and a certain amount of dread. As a younger Priestly there were very few secrets and it would not be long before Penny would be exposed to the critique and pressures of first Cass and then their mother. She hoped to make that as painless as possible.  
  
Cassidy’s boyfriend, Jeremy, picked them up at the airport and dropped Carol at her house. It was so good to be home that she left her suitcase in the entryway and flopped down on the couch. Before she knew it she had fallen asleep. When she woke she looked around in a bit of a daze. She found her cell phone and called her mother to let her know that they had arrived safe. She could tell that Cassidy had already called her from the irritation that had crept into her voice. Of course she knew that Carol had arrived home safely because she had flown with Cass and been dropped off by her boyfriend. That did not excuse the fact that Carol had not called her mom. The distance between them was only intensified by these small slips and they both sighed when they hung up. It might have been some small comfort to both mother and daughter if they had known it was mutually frustrating.  
  
“Hello?” Penny answered in a breathless excited tone betraying all of her youth and uncertainty. Carol couldn’t help the shiver that shot through her body. Carol was tempted to just listen, but she knew that would get them nowhere. “Hello? Carol?”  
  
“Penny, I just wanted to confirm that we are going out tomorrow. I’m sorry that I can’t pick you up. I hope you don’t mind meeting me.”  
  
“No. I understand. I mean this is kind of delicate, right?”  
  
Silence. Penny was sure that this was because she had once again said the too right thing. She had often caused trouble in her relationships because she had said something that was dead on, but the other person wasn’t really ready to call a spade a spade or kissing a girl, uh, kissing a girl. Knowing her penchant for saying that type of thing didn’t lessen her discomfort as she waited for Carol to respond. Penny waited for what felt like an eternity while Carol carefully weighed her pros and cons. After this eternity of waiting Carol still hadn’t responded. “Carol, I know that this is unusual. I know that there are a lot of issues to go through for a former student and an instructor to date. I know that you value your professionalism and your reputation. Those are two things that attracted me to you in the first place. However I think that you are worth the effort and in time things will change.”  
  
“Yes. Well.” Carol half-heartedly began.  
  
“If you don’t think so, remember that kiss I demanded from you before you left on vacation. I’ll see you tomorrow at Taiko’s at 7pm.” Not giving Carol a chance to answer Penny hung up. She figured if she could get hung up on in their previous conversation, then she should also have the right to hang up on Carol. It was equal after all. Penny also did not want to leave it up to Carol, who seemed like she wanted to back out. Penny thought that if she could be sure to get close again, maybe even steal a goodnight kiss, then Carol would know what she was missing by giving up on them before they had a chance.

 

 

 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *A/N: okay so I had to finally sit down and work out the timeline… the year is 2019 so Penny was in the graduating class of 2017. I freaked out when I worked the numbers the first time and had her in the graduating class of 2023. So here’s the breakdown…
> 
> In the year 2000 Andy was 25 and worked for a 50 year old Miranda who had twins that were 10. This means that Penny was born in 2001 and graduated high school in 2017. The twins were born in 1990 so they are 29 at this point while Andy is 44 and Miranda is 69.
> 
> I went off the idea that the book was published in 2003 and I pretended it took from 2000 for her to write it, etc. So in my little brain I worked everything from 2000 because writing for 2023 seemed a little intimidating to me. Hopefully since it’s all a story you can hang in there with me.

_**Tom/Thom. Part 2/?**_  
  
Papers were spread out everywhere on the table. Wads of yellow legal pad papers were thrown into the kitchen near the trash, but just piling up around the bottom. The afternoon sunlight bathed the sisters in its warmth. They had been editing Carol’s latest paper all afternoon. Cassidy glanced out the sliding glass door wondering if she could get any work done laying in the hammock. “You know mother would have that garden ripped out in ten minutes if she ever saw it.”  
  
Setting down the paper she was grading Carol looked at her sister. Following her eyes out the glass door she smiled. “I like it that way.” She reached for her coffee cup. “It looks lived in.” She took a sip of the coffee wishing it was warmer. “Romantic, you know?”  
  
Cassidy took in a full breath of air before leveling their mother’s glare at her sister. “You spend too much time thinking about outlaws and fairies.” She set the paper and her red pen atop the sea of papers on the table. “It looks like the Jabberwocky will crawl out of there any moment.”  
  
Refusing to rise to her sister’s baiting Carol leaned toward her sister, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!”  
  
A full belly laugh greeted that as they both sat back in their chairs amused.  
  
Carol’s eyes quickly looked at the clock on the wall. “Why do you always call my work ‘outlaws and fairies’?”  
  
Holding up the paper Carol had her editing about the mystique of the outlaw in American Literature, Cassidy smiled at her. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? American Outlaws of the 20th century and fairies of the 1500’s?”  
  
Bristling Carol shook her head. “I don’t poo poo what you do, dear sister. Besides I gave up fairies of the 1500’s.” Pausing as she heard the words come out of her mouth she pointed at her sister. “You sound like the person that creates the categories on Jeapordy.” Taking their coffee cups to the sink Carol added, “Don’t you have dinner with Jeremy?” She looked at the microwave clock hoping to have her sister out of the house so she could get ready.  
  
Gasping Cassidy looked at the garden again. It had never looked that wild before. “That’s why the garden has been left to grow!” Cassidy stood up and began looking into the living room for more clues about her sister’s recent goings on.  
  
The cups clattered in the sink and the water was turned off. Carol followed her sister into the living room. “What are you talking about?”  
  
Cassidy smiled as she saw a book out of place on her sister’s shelf. “You’ve met someone. That’s why you want me out of here.” Cassidy pulled the book from it haphazard place above the other books on the shelf before Carol could cross the room to stop her. The title  **Santa**   **Monica High School, 2017**  startled Cassidy. “She’s young.” She said as she sat on the couch.  
  
Her body was unsure whether to blush or blanch and so Carol stood frozen in the entry to her own living room as her sister poked around in her personal life, flipping pages of Penny’s high school yearbook that had been left there.  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Carol stood straighter and tried her very best to channel their mother’s posture, countenance, and cool. It was like a shield made out of papier-mâché. Her sister had grown up with the same pressures that she did and they were both immune to their own imitations of their mother.  
  
Cassidy looked out to the garden once more, then challenged her sister. “The garden has never been so romantic as that, Car.” Cassidy’s voice rolled its eyes and she looked up at her sister daring her to contradict her. “And you’ve checked the time on every device in this house in the last ten minutes.  
  
Weighing her options in her head Carol continued to stand.  
  
In the intervening silence Cassidy alternated between being happy for her sister and angry that she didn’t tell her that she had met someone. Running her hand on the top of the yearbook, she thought she knew why. Class of 2007 was ten years ahead of Class of 2017. “Does the kid have a name?” Cassidy returned her stare to her sister. When there was no answer she cracked open the yearbook. “I see here, ‘Penny.’” The immature sayings written everywhere on the pages in various colors of ink, the bad layouts, and the typical high school offerings all combined to piss off the red head. “Your silence tells me a great deal.” Cassidy’s courtroom questioning combined with their mother’s quiet terror was overwhelming.  
  
Cassidy turned to the color pages where the seniors were. There couldn’t be that many Penny’s in the graduating class.  
  
The couch sank next to her and Cassidy thought that her sister was ready to talk. Instead Carol’s hands reached for the yearbook. “Penny’s not a kid. Give me that. You’re going to be late.”  
  
Cassidy closed the yearbook and held it to her far side. She waited as her sister reached for it and then gave up. “Is this a serious relationship, Caroline?” Her tone was not to be ignored and Carol sat up and looked at her sister as if she had been swatted on the ass. Cassidy tilted her head forward appraising her sister. “If it is serious then you need to tell me about it. If you can’t tell me about her, then you’ll never be able to tell mom about her, which means—”  
  
She was cut off by the long-suffering groan of her twin sister. “Why did you have to pull the mom card?”  
  
Cassidy snorted a laugh. “Because you are acting like a child.”  
  
***  
  
The offices of Frost and Wade were on the fourth floor of the Security Title Building. It was non-descript in its grey concrete guise, but the lobby spoke of money with the leather seating area, internal Starbucks, and almost sparkling cleanliness about the place. At the threshold of the Starbucks Carol let brought their joined hands to her lips. “Want anything?” She asked.  
  
Penny shook her head no and pulled her hand away to rest it on her stomach. Carol wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, but like her sister said she’d have to handle her sister if she was to handle their mother. Winking at Penny, Carol slipped into the Starbucks. ‘She can handle me, just fine.’ She thought to herself as she moved forward. When it was her turn to order she asked for Cassidy’s drink first, knowing that it was the more likely to get messed up. “Venti, de-caf, soy latte, extra-hot.” The barista looked at her sharply and then panicked as she thought that it was Cassidy placing her own order. “Relax, my sister is still on the fourth floor.” Carol smiled at the young girl. She wondered what her sister had been doing to receive that kind of reaction.  
  
Penny looked even more nervous after having to wait for the coffees. Carol wondered why she hadn’t come in with her. “I found your sister’s name.” Penny whispered quietly. “She’s a child advocate.”  
  
Holding the coffee tray with one hand she reached for her girlfriend’s hand with the other. “Come on. We don’t want Cassidy to have to wait.” They stepped into the elevator and Penny pressed the button for the fourth floor.  
  
They hadn’t taken more than five or six steps out of the elevator when a child came screaming down the hallway behind them. The receptionist stood and Penny and Carol turned around. The child ran nearer to them, but didn’t show any signs of slowing down. Lightning quick reflexes had Penny turned and grabbing the child in a firm but gentle hold. He continued to scream, but his arms wrapped tightly around Penny instead of fighting her.  
  
Carol and the receptionist, Gracie, exchanged a curious look and then continued to stare at the pair. Penny was just rubbing small circles on the boy’s back. She wasn’t saying anything to him, just holding him in a loose circle that he could break away from at any time. His screaming stopped only to be replaced by choked sobs as he squeezed Penny hard around the neck. Steps and shouting grew louder as they neared from the same direction the boy had come. Carol held a breath hoping that her sister was not in this group, even though she knew that Cassidy’s office was that direction.  
  
The group came to stand ten feet away from the boy and Penny. They were quiet for a moment. “Steven, come here. Come to mommy.”  
  
The boy shook his head and clung harder to Penny as she turned to see the adults. Her breath caught as she saw the stern face halo-ed in red that could only be Carol’s twin sister. “How come you don’t want to go?” Penny whispered to the little boy called Steven.  
  
Tears streaked down his face, but he remained silent. Penny wasn’t sure if her ears could take more screaming. “Fightin’.” He finally sniffed.  
  
Still kneeling Penny turned to the assembled adults, “I don’t think he wants to come back with you right now.” This caused a wave and then an explosion as the woman that had called out to the boy and a man began shouting at each other.  
  
Penny stood and Steven wrapped around her waist. In a low voice that she had heard her mother use, Penny addressed them, “It sounds like you have some more fighting to do. So why don’t you go back to an office or conference room, or preferably anywhere that this child doesn’t have to listen to it. You are supposed to be adults. Don’t you see what you are doing to this young man?” Penny wrapped her arm around Steven on her hip seeking comfort in his warmth. She didn’t think her mom would have used so many words, but she knew Andy Sachs would not let a child be ganged up on by adults.  
  
The adults all looked at her like an alien had sprouted out of her head.  
  
Pointing down one of the other hallways on a guess she asked the receptionist. “Is there a break room that way?”  
  
The receptionist looked to the woman who had to be Cassidy and after receiving a slight nod she offered, “Let me show you the way.”  
  
As they moved away from the group and protest was made, but a voice like Carol’s but not assured them, “They will be in the break room. And she’s right don’t you think about that kind of display in front of him?” There was a murmur and then Cassidy once again, “Maybe we can come to an understanding then?”  
  
***  
  
The vibration of the soda machine was steady and calming. Carol sat sipping her coffee amused with her girlfriend and their new-found follower. She certainly had not expected the first meeting to go this way. Either Cassidy would be impressed and the lunch would be smooth, or she would be offended by the interference and lunch wouldn’t matter. Either way she was amused that her girlfriend was nervous to meet her sister, but would take on a group of random adults because a child was crying. It was another one of her quirks to love she grinned.  
  
“What?” Penny asked her as she looked up from the computer paper where Steven was drawing a fire engine.  
  
“Just you.” Carol said as she covered her smile with her coffee cup.  
  
Widening her eyes to express the level of intent Penny whispered, “Well, he totally needed to get away from that.”  
  
Setting the cup down on the little round table made it wobble and she smiled thinking that her sister the lawyer didn’t have it all. “And you needed to not be nervous when you first met my sister, so good job.”  
  
Penny sat back in the chair and groaned. “Did she look upset?”  
  
Carol shook her head, “She had her game face on.” Penny wrinkled her brow at her in question. “She’s just like our mom at work. There’s nothing that can surprise her, or shake her, or make her feel anything. When either of them are like that there’s no telling what is going on in that brain.  
  
From the doorway that voice so like Carol’s drawled out, “You sure do have brass balls. Come on the parents want to meet you.” When Penny didn’t get up immediately, Cassidy added, “I think they feel a little sheepish and want to apologize. I have to hand it to you, kiddo, you impressed even me.”  
  
***  
  
Pacing back and forth in the living room Carol smiled as she saw the various books, knick-nacks and other evidence of her girlfriend’s presence in her house. She had always felt that it was too big for just her, but certainly wasn’t going to let just anyone into her home. Cassidy was always having roommates and entertaining, but Carol, like her mom, was very private about her nest as she called it. She didn’t want anyone messing it up. Penny just had the right key for her house it would seem. They had taken things slow, but as each step in their relationship was taken it had been clear that they were hesitating because of formality and not a lack of compatibility. If anything they were made for each other. Penny’s stuff slowly moving into her house was like so many little reminders about who they were to each other.  
  
Carol checked the clock and changed the phone to her other ear, “Cassidy, why are you so fixated on mom? We’ve only had dinner with you like four times. Why drag mom into it?”  
  
A sigh greeted her, which frustrated her. She may be her twin, but they still had some of that ‘my sister aggravates me’ going on. Carol could tell that Cassidy was choosing her words carefully which in their family had never been a good sign. “You love her, Carol.”  
  
Silence strung out on the line between them even though they were no more than two hours apart tops. In fact Carol was beginning to think that she should get in her car and throttle her sister.  
  
The door opened before either could speak again. “Hello? I have take-out!” Penny announced herself from the doorway.  
  
Accepting a kiss on the cheek as Penny moved into the kitchen, Carol walked down the hallway to the bedrooms. “Cassidy.” She didn’t like to force her sister, but with all the mom talk going on she knew that she needed to.  
  
This time the silence was quickly filled with, “I like Penny. You know she saved me a lot of time with that awful couple and the case closed instead of dragging on. I’m sure that mom will like her too. She and I have always agreed about your boyfriends. Remember our junior prom and the boy you went with Luis? She and I straight away didn’t like him.”  
  
Carol’s jaw dropped. As soon as her sister started squealing like a stuck pig, she knew that there was something major that she felt guilty about. So she knew to listen carefully to what her sister said. “What do you mean mom WILL LIKE HER?” Carol nearly shouted into the phone.  
  
The rambling record of her sister’s guilt scratched to a halt, “Um?” Cassidy questioned wondering where she slipped up.  
  
“You said mom will like her, Cassidy. Why did you say it like that?” Carol didn’t want to think about any of this. There were days when she wished that her sister had gone with her second choice of Radcliffe so that she truly have made a break with her family. She loved her twin, but it was harder on some days than others.  
  
“She’s coming.”  
  
The television shouted to life as Penny got things ready for their dinner. Carol startled and turned to look down the hall wishing she had remembered to turn the volume down the last time she had it on.  
  
“What the hell, Cass?”  
  
Again Cassidy’s guilt had her rapid firing answers in whatever order they appeared to her mind. “You know she always asks about you, and you never call her.” Carol rolled her eyes at that one but didn’t even open her mouth to disagree. “She asked who I was having dinner two nights ago when I had to go quickly and I said Carol and Penny. Then I was like ‘oh my god’. I tried to just ramble on like it was nothing, but she knows, Car, she knows. Our dinners are only for the two of us and maybe Jeremy. So she asked about Penny.”  
  
Carol rubbed the side of her face forcefully with her free hand. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She had finally found a slice of true happiness and it was going to be put to the test right away.  
  
“When?” Carol knew that it was only partly her sister’s fault, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a convenient target for all of her anger.  
  
The answer was a squeak, “Two weeks.”  
  
Carol hung up the phone and stood in the bedroom looking around like she had been transported to another planet. “Shit.” Carol muttered in the room. Her sister was right that she loved Penny, so they would handle any obstacles together. She just hadn’t planned on any this soon.  
  
Walking down the hall to where Penny, dinner, and the tv were waiting for her Carol tried to get her mind around what to say and what would be happening in the very near future. The sight of Penny’s yearbook still resting haphazardly above the other books on her shelf, made her smile despite her feelings of impending doom.  
  
Penny’s blue eyes were soft as they looked up at her over the mouthful of salad still half on the fork. “You get to meet my mom.” Carol said causing Penny’s eyes to go wide and half of the bite to fall back into its bowl. Grimly Carol disappeared into the kitchen to grab a soda for each of them.  
  
Swallowing her bite whole, Penny pushed off the ground quickly to follow her girlfriend. “What?” She tried not to squeal, but this was major news. They had talked about the future and had both been glad that the holidays were months ahead of them so they could focus just on their natural progression.  
  
Before Penny could continue Carol popped open her soda downing three large gulps. She was so mad at her sister. She could feel the tension building in Penny in the interval but she wanted to sit down for this conversation. Holding a soda out to Penny, Carol passed her on the way back into the living room.  
  
As Carol sank down to the ground in front of her dinner Penny let loose some of her frustration. “I thought we agreed to wait for all the parental stuff?”  
  
Motioning Penny to sit with her, Carol sighed. “We did.” She reached for her fork but did not spear a bite. “You can blame my sister for this.” She tried to be casual as she looked over her dinner plate, but she didn’t feel calm or cool at all. She wondered if this was how her mom felt all those times she was so dismissive of them in high school as she went over the book pretending not to be shocked or offended.  
  
“I don’t understand.” Penny said as she slumped down next to Carol. “And you better not do that I’m grading papers face and not talk to me. If your mom is coming I need to know more about her than that she’s the dragonlady that made you and Cassidy who you are today.”  
  
Carol bought time by chewing a bite slowly. She knew that Penny would be patient as long as she thought that she was bearing heard and her answer was coming. She had shown that numerous times in the course of their slow beginning, hadn’t she? Penny was slow to anger, and easy to cool down—as long as she knew where she stood. Otherwise… Well, there were times that Carol wondered if her mother didn’t really have a twin out there somewhere with blond hair and a spitfire of a daughter or granddaughter. She had certainly never met someone that seemed like they could survive in her family, while still having some kind of down-home sweetness at the same time.  
  
“Jesus.” Carol finally said as she looked sideways into Penny’s anxious eyes. “Fine. Cassidy said she’s coming in two weeks. She hates this house so we’re safe on that count. And I will tell you all about the dragon that breathed life into me.” Penny’s smile was magnificent even though there was a tear in her eye that Carol didn’t understand. “After dinner.” She stipulated with her fork. Then to soften the situation she leaned in and gave Penny a kiss. “I’m sorry for the timing, baby, but it was gonna happen sometime.”  
  
***  
  
If her business wasn’t enough to create that calm in the face of danger façade, then having an adventurous daughter definitely would have done the trick. Andy recalled all the phone calls from school nurses, principals, summer camp staff, and other various adults that began with something like, “Ms. Sachs. I’m here with Penny and I want you to know she’s all right…” Inevitably all was well after a hospital visit or a couple of days suspension, but that first moment when someone had to tell you that something happened to your daughter was horrible.  
  
Sometimes the more unsettling calls were the ones where our daughter called and said she had news. Those were even more rare than the call from an adult saying that your daughter was ‘okay, but’. Her neighbor friend, Diana, told some hair raising stories about her boys as they served in the military and the peace corps each in different corners of the world that gave her many sleepless nights.  
  
Pulling into the parking lot of her favorite neighborhood restaurant Andy smiled knowing at least that her daughter was more or less safely studying at college for the moment. She wasn’t worried about broken bones anymore, and she was fairly confident that her daughter wasn’t going of to volunteer at a school near the Ngorongoro Crater.  
  
It was on the edge of chilly but sitting in the sun she saw her daughter and a beautiful red head holding hands across the small table. Andy smiled thinking that this was a difficult thing for her daughter to do, but not one of those ‘is my daughter okay’ moments. Andy relaxed even as they dropped hands and stood to greet her.  
  
The large sunglasses may have blocked her eyes, but Andy could read the look in her demeanor, eyebrows, and set of her jaw. The woman’s hand reached up with a practiced ease that set Andy on edge and then blue eyes the color of a glacier’s heart were on her.  
  
Andy dug deep and flashed her best smile at her daughter and companion. “Penny, honey.” She grabbed her only in her arms for a fierce hug. “Thanks for coming all the way up here.” She stepped back leaving one arm on her daughter’s shoulder for effect. Then with a tilt of her head she said, “Now who do we have here, Penny?” Unable to resist the urge to push back Andy gave her own once over of the red head, only that her eyes were not hidden behind sunglasses.  
  
***  
  
The moment that Penny’s scuffed pumps crossed the threshold into the main part of the restaurant Andy leaned forward and addressed her daughter’s girlfriend, Carol. “State your intentions.” Looking toward the door she added, “I’m sure you know how quick she is.” Andy wasn’t going to just let the afternoon pass in completely amiable conversation. In her experience people were usually after something and it was just a matter of whether it was something a person was willing to give or not. She wanted to make sure that Penny was in a relationship whose currency was not power and where the balance was not eternally in this woman’s favor.  
  
It impressed Andy that the shock was contained to a subtle widening of her eyes and the pause of a sip of water. “What do you mean?”  
  
Andy smiled back but it wasn’t her friendly smile anymore. “It’s a little soon to be doing the parent thing, if I’ve only just heard about you, don’t you think?”  
  
‘ _Touche._ ’ Andy thought. ‘ _That rattled her cool_.’  
  
“I agree with you, but my mother is coming into town which speeds things up, Ms. Sachs.” Carol leaned forward now, knowing that she was in front of a one-woman firing squad. Penny talked about her mother with a fondness that she could only dream of having with her own mom. There was no time, and neither of them liked small talk anyway—or Ms. Sachs wouldn’t have pounced on her as soon as Penny had left. ‘ _Well,_   _here goes nothing_.’ She thought before taking the deep breath of all deep breaths.  
  
“My intention is to marry your daughter.” Andy couldn’t help the gasp and Carol pushed on, “In the future.” Making sure that she had Ms. Sach’s attention she continued. “For so long I have wondered what was missing in my life outside of a home and work that I loved. Meeting Penny it was not immediately clear.” Carol set her hand on the table. “She was my student but somehow we had conversations about literature and the world in general that made me look forward to the next class. I admit I was relieved for the summer break because it was confusing to me. The Fall quarter brought us together in class again and I finally had to ask your daughter not to be in my classes any longer.” Ms. Sach’s narrowed her eyes in a gesture that reminded her of her mom’s pursed lips. Carol adjusted in her seat and half wished that Cassidy was with her since this was all her doing. “I had to ask her out, Ms. Sachs, not be her instructor.”  
  
The door opened and both women fought the urge to look towards it since they had unfinished business. A voice called to Penny from inside, and Andy inwardly thanked the gods that the staff had always asked about her. Penny’s response was cut off as the door closed keeping her inside for the moment.  
  
“I only care about Penny’s happiness, Ms. Sachs. I love her.”  
  
Andy was speechless, but she managed to nod. Carol’s blue eyes so earnestly declaring her love, reminded her of similar blue eyes pushed far back to the recesses of her mind all these years. The statement of only caring about her daughters amidst all that would be going on sounding oddly similar to Carol’s steady assertion that she cared for Penny.  
  
Clearing her suddenly dry throat, Andy leaned forward and clasped her hand around Carol’s on the table. “Call me, Andy, Carol. If what you say is true I guess it will be, Mom soon enough.” A squeeze certified her stamp of approval, but it was surpassed by the beautiful smile the older woman gave her.  
  
“Here you go, mom. Arturo asked why you don’t come so often.” Penny set a salt-rimmed glass with a margarita over the rocks down on the table. Turning that smile from her potential daughter in law to her daughter Andy reached for her hand.  
  
“Thank you for coming down here for the afternoon, Penny.” The first sip of the chilled liquid was quite soothing and Andy couldn’t help the satisfied little sigh that escaped her lips. “If you two are off, then I’ll go and talk with him a bit.”  
  
It was as much of a statement as a question, but Carol did not feel like they were being sent away. It was the nicest dismissal she had ever experienced.

 

 

 


	3. Three

_**Tom/Thom. Part 3/4**_  
  
Miranda sat at her desk. She sat so that she didn’t go on a murderous rampage. She sat so that she could contain the press bonanza as much as was within her power. In her life, from husband to husband and job moment to the next, Miranda had always fought to keep her daughters out of the press. They had gone on to find success and she supposed happiness away from her. If it meant they were happy, then she had vowed to accept that.  
  
That her own daughter had single-handedly created an all new lollapalooza of press that went national like some kind of viral video was unacceptable. It dragged her back into the limelight when she had fought to settle into a quite low profile. Pressing a button on her phone she took a deep breath so that she could rattle off her demands in one exhalation. “I want to leave tomorrow.” With one touch she ended the call.  
  
 _ **Priestly Saving Daughter in LA?**_  
  
 _Miranda Priestly has been keeping a low profile, but her sudden move to come to LA has left us wondering what motivation she has for descending on LA today. A little digging has revealed that the Priestly twins came out west for college and never left. In fact one of her little darlings has even changed to her father’s name. That’s right folks Professor-to-be-Priestly is none other than Carol Tomlinson. We found out what had mama Priestly clearing her schedule for a sudden visit. Tom/Thom is the latest pseudo-celebrity name here in Orange County. It seems that Tomlinson has a thing for young co-eds if the picture is anything to go by. If that wasn’t enough for the dragon to breath fire, surely the identity of this young lady will be. Penelope Thompson, the daughter of Christian Thompson, is the youngster that has this wayward Priestly’s attention. You might remember Christian Thompson from his column “That’s My Way,” that used to appear in the New York Times. He was run out of the American Writing scene about 19 years ago and lives in Paris. Perhaps there will be another show down if daddy comes to town?_  
  
***  
  
Thankful for working from home for the day, Carol dialed Penny’s number as quickly as she could. Her pulse was racing and she wanted out of her suit jacket. The pause in between rings sent a chill around her body each time she had to wait. When Penny answered on the last ring, Carol didn’t know what to say.  
  
“Carol?” Penny paused looking at her phone. “Carol, are you okay, honey?”  
  
Rubbing her hand over her face to force composure, Carol tried to start, “The headlines are all over. Page 6 is having a field day.” Carol took in a large breath and tried to not hear Penny chuckle on the other end of the line. “My sister called to warn me.”  
  
Noting the panic in her lover’s voice, Penny stopped chuckling and breathed deep. She tried to think of what Carol could be upset about. The papers hadn’t been very nice, but there really wasn’t much of a story there. She knew it would die down soon and she knew that despite the papers dragging her father into it—he wouldn’t care. His history with Carol’s mom was ancient history—older than her in fact. “Are you worried about my father?” Penny didn’t really pause for an answer. She just carried on. “Because he won’t care. At all.”  
  
Realizing that was a variable that she hadn’t even considered, Carol was glad that it was a non-issue. However that did nothing to assuage her immediate silver haired panic. “But my mom will care enough for the both of them.” Carol felt the tears warm as they dripped down her face. She hated the weakness, but having to deal with her mother in full dragon mode was exactly why she had moved away and switched to her father’s name.  
  
“Ok. Whoa. You’re upset.” Penny checked the time considering her schedule. “I can’t get home for a couple of more hours.”  
  
The doorbell rang and then was followed by a loud knocking at her door. “That had better be Cassidy at the door.” She told Penny as she approached the peephole. Penny waited hoping that it was her sister. Reaching to unbolt the door, Carol told Penny. “It’s my sis. I’ll see you soon, okay?”  
  
Penny smiled hearing a bit of calm in Carol’s voice. “Okay. Love you.”  
  
Carol smiled for the first time since Cassidy’s phone call. “Love you too.”  
  
***  
  
Knowing it was inevitable didn’t make opening the door any easier. In fact in the moment it took to look through the peephole and reach for the dead bolt, Carol seriously considered fleeing with Penny out the back. Her sister had started some of this mess, so she could be the one to tell their mother that it was ‘off to Old Mexico’. Sighing and dismissing the idea, Carol took a deep breath and turned the bolt.  
  
An air kiss and half hug were all the formalities and pleasantries they engaged in. With one hand and a silent nod, Miranda motioned into her daughter’s house. Moving at a glacial pace accomplished nothing.  
  
It may have been Caroline’s living room, but the sight of the nervous young blonde sucking in a breath of air and squaring her shoulders took her back many, many years to the sensation of approaching an assistant to flay them. Miranda relished in the ease with which she felt the hunter’s instinct return. She was unprepared for the beautiful blue eyes turned to face her and the flash of a young brunette with brown eyes looking at her with the same look of wonder. Shaking of this apparition Miranda closed her eyes as she shrugged out of her coat. Cassidy swept in from the kitchen to quickly grab it and push her sister forward as she disappeared down the hall.  
  
Not saying anything, Miranda stopped her movements two feet away from the girl. Looking her up and down with her practiced eye and the goal of intimidation, Miranda pursed her lips.  
  
Extending her hand and smiling a wide open smile, Penny approached Carol’s mother. “Carol said to call you, Miranda.” She hesitantly held her hand out a little closer to Miranda’s motionless form. “So, Miranda, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Penny. Well, actually it’s Penelope, but everyone calls me, Penny.” She smiled again but dropped her hand awkwardly back to her side.  
  
Miranda felt a shiver course through her body as she tried to figure out what the combination of sensations and memories were that this girl was causing. ‘That’s weird.’ She tilted her head at her daughter wondering what was going on here. Then turning her laser like glare on the nervous blonde interloper, she said, “Penny.” Miranda’s tone dripped with disdain. Penny’s shoulders drooped slightly. Carol and Cassidy cringed. “Penelope.” Miranda strung the name out considering it as the syllables left her tongue.  
  
***  
  
It wasn’t the usual parking space; it wasn’t even the driveway, but if almost mother-in-law in a hurry didn’t give her the right to park on the lawn, then she wasn’t sure what was. Besides it would take a while for someone to complain and longer for the police to come and tow. She figured she still had time for her priorities and still didn’t have to worry about her car. Even in her rush she didn’t slam the door. She did double-time her steps up the front walkway with a single-minded-ness that she hadn’t felt in quite some time. When she arrived at the door to knock, she noticed that the door wasn’t shut all the way.  
  
Alarmed Andy quietly slipped through the door and into the house. Hearing a voice, Andy stopped at the edge of the hallway to inspect the scene first. The tall woman she expected to find was chastising the girls. Andy looked closer at them noting Cassidy’s presence and Penny’s tears.  
  
Unaware of the new presence in the house Miranda kept on with her tirade. “How could you be so careless? Everyone knows your personal business. Both of you. They are dredging up the past, dragging my name into it. What on Earth—”  
  
The crash of Andy’s bag on the hardwood floor drew all of their attention. Eyes wide the girls followed the rush of furious brunette as she crossed the room standing in between the girls and the tall woman.  
  
Familiar brown eyes were now flared with fury and Andy unloaded with both barrels. “Don’t you dare criticize them for ending up in the tabloids. You’re a regular feature if I recall so it’s really no wonder. Her name is Penny not Penelope. Don’t you dare treat my child like you treat your own.” Andy turned her focus on her daughter’s girlfriend. “No wonder I had no idea who you were Carol.” Andy swiveled back to face Miranda reloading as she breathed. “Carol Tomlinson or should I say Caroline Priestly of the red headed terrors that are the spawn of the dragon? Caroline… And Cassidy.”  
  
Looking away from blue eyes that had frosted over cold in self-preservation Andy addressed the closest redhead. “Wow. How did you manage to get away, Carol?”  
  
Stalking the room in short lines back and forth, Andy thought out loud, “Change your name. Your coast. And try to live in anonymity and here she is with Page 6 on her heels. No wonder you wanted to meet me in a hurry.” Everyone was too shocked to move. All they could do was watch as the momma bear paced the room. “I thought I did a great disappearing act when I threw my phone in that Paris fountain, but you disappeared and you’re her own child.” Andy finally came to a stop staring in disbelief at the shocked redhead. She herself had done the same thing to get away from Miranda. It was simply unbelievable that now she would be drawn back into the Priestly vector.  
  
“That is quite enough, Andrea.” The icy words were delivered with unearthly calm. Miranda only knew of one way to diffuse a situation. It wasn’t always the method best suited, but it was the trick she had.  
  
Andy’s focused snapped back to Miranda, “Ooooh. Still high and mighty, aren’t you? My name is Andy. Not Andrea and Not Emily.” She defied death by staring into Miranda’s eyes, but her breathing was beginning to slow down.  
  
“You are ranting like a crazy person.” Tilting her head in consideration, Miranda drank in Andrea’s presence.  
  
Huffing a bit at the comment, Andrea conceded, “When my daughter is under the fire of the dragonlady? YES. I will rant like a crazy person. This is not Runway. She is not your assistant. Not that that is any excuse for your behavior, but this is your daughter’s home and the woman she loves so act accordingly and I’ll stop the ranting and most of the crazy.”  
  
Cassidy wandered in at this point and both twins pulled their mother away. Penny went to her mother. Corners were effectively drawn and round 1 was a draw. Miranda had first blood, but Andrea had gone for the jugular and Miranda was shaken.  
  
***  
  
Stepping close to her mother, Penny whispered, “Thanks for helping, but what the hell was that, Mom?” Andy would have been upset with her daughter, but she noted that the tears had stopped and her little girl was staring at her with wide-eyed wonder, not disgust.  
  
Andy regarded her daughter carefully realizing that her heart was still with Carol, even though she was a Priestly. Steeling herself for having to walk a hard line through the danger zone, Andy leaned forward and hugged her girl. “I’ll have to explain later, but I promise that I will.”  
  
They stood talking as Penny caught Andy up on the frantic phone calls and earlier appearance than expected of Carol’s mom after the headlines started.  
  
***  
  
The advocate in her rising like a cobra, Cassidy stepped close to her mother hissing, “Why did you do that, Mom?” She motioned toward the youngest in the room.  
  
Not hearing her really, Miranda muttered and shook her head as she looked across the room and then out of the window. “I can’t believe you are on page 6.” Breathing deep Miranda closed her eyes and pressed her thumb and first finger over each eyebrow.  
  
Reaching out and touching her mother’s arm, Carol drew her attention, “What the hell? How does Penny’s mom know all of us?”  
  
Joining her sister as always Cassidy seconded, “Yeah. Mom, what the hell?”  
  
Looking for the first time with truly seeing eyes, Miranda answered. There was quite simply going to be no avoiding it. “Andrea Sachs, my former assistant.” She focused on the shocked look of her daughter’s then.  
  
Scrunching her eyebrows in a way she knew her mother would disapprove of, Carol asked, “How former?”  
  
Looking pointedly at the young blonde with her mother, Miranda whispered, “19 years.”  
  
Confused Cassidy looked up at the ceiling recalling the headlines, “The papers said she was Christian Thompson’s daughter.”  
  
Turning confidentially to her sister, Carol told her, “He’s in London now. Penny hardly ever sees him.”  
  
With a flicker of realization Cassidy said back, “Oh, he’s more famous and had a run in with mom.”  
  
Carol nodded and then her eyes went round as she thought out loud. “Wait till the press finds out about Andy as mom’s assistant.” Turning a shocked face on her mom she asked the woman staring at Andy and Penny, heartache clear in her eyes. She reached out a comforting hand, “Mom?  
  
***  
  
Feeling the air shift like she has not felt in almost 20 years, Andy turned to find herself the subject of 3 pairs of Priestly eyes studying her and her daughter. Unhappy at her predicament, Andy lowers her head a moment. She knows that as the defensive momma bear on attack; it has to be her to offer the olive branch. Besides she supposes that it is still outside Miranda’s scope of comprehension to ever do such a thing. The girls, well they were girls in the face of their mother, and it didn’t matter that they were nearly 30. She could just imagine the volatile dynamic between them, if Andy’s guesses were anywhere near the truth.  
  
Seeing the girls 10-year old faces clearly now as she looked at them flanking their mother, she saw that they were in fact afraid of the outcome here. Thinking of Penny and Carol at the restaurant and on their successive meetings, she knew that they were happy enough until the mothers had shown up—herself included.  
  
Stepping closer to the center of the room, Andy found her boardroom calm and made her opening statement. “Okay. Here’s the thing.” She pointed to Penny and Carol as they stepped toward each other finally. “These two are in love and I’ve had the chance to meet them as a couple and I’m happy for them.” She smiled at the girls now holding hands. Then her intense focus was back on Miranda, “I want to be a nice mother or mother-in-law person for them.” Andy motioned to indicate the title wasn’t the important part. “So if you will desist from reducing my daughter to tears, then I will agree to peace.” Andy didn’t falter at all as she stepped forward to Miranda with her hand outstretched. “Do you accept?” Andy stared Miranda down in a way that showed she would accept nothing less and was capable of so much more if her child was threatened in any way.  
  
Miranda raked her eyes over Andrea. The handshake was short and the nod was small, but they had an accord.  
  
***  
  
Smiling at her girlfriend, Carol whispered, “And I was worried about them meeting.”  
  
Pinching her lover’s arm, Penny took her hand and agreed, “I know, right?”  
  
Stepping behind them Cassidy added, “I told you—no problem.” All three of them laughed at the joke as they turned and walked into the kitchen. The immediate stress of the moment passed, they got glasses of water and joked idly as if there weren’t two 13-foot tall Siberian Tigers still facing off in the living room.  
  
Neither had the home turf advantage, but Andy had at least been to the house once before and so she motioned for a seat. Miranda’s blue eyes locked with hers and then flicked away enough to take a seat before locking on Andy’s again. Miranda went to speak and Andy cut her off. “Look. I didn’t mean all of the horrible things I said. So I do apologize. It’s just that something snapped when I saw Penny getting Miranda-ized.”  
  
Silence passed between them as they tried to fit 19 years worth of talking into ten seconds worth of eye talk.  
  
Her eyes softening with camaraderie, Miranda made her own overture. “I understand the madness that comes with having a daughter to protect. I have two and it has not been easy.” Seeing agreement in the beautiful brown eyes facing her, Miranda continued on. “Andrea, I too, would like to be a positive ‘mom or mother-in-law person’ as you so eloquently said.” She softened her quotation with the tiniest smile.  
  
Searching her former boss’ eyes, Andy asked her, “Is it too much to ask for you to call me, Andy?”  
  
Chortling in shocked amusement Miranda quickly replayed the monologue and then asked back, “Of all your points after nearly 20 years—that was what stood out to you?”  
  
Flustered all over again by this woman, Andy vehemently said, “Yes. I never understood why you couldn’t respect me enough as a human to call me by the name I use.” Narrowing her eyes, Andy added, “But after what you did to Nigel, I know I shouldn’t be surprised.”  
  
Raising an eyebrow at the brashness of the comment, Miranda calmly responded. “Andrea. ‘What I did to Nigel’ as you put it—was a business decision. You know that, which is why your venom is running out. And Nigel was destined for something much greater than James Holt’s paltry doomed business endeavor.” She looked gravely at Andrea daring her to disagree. “I gave him what he deserved, but it was just too soon to make it happen. I did make it up to him.”  
  
Miranda was overwhelmed by Andy’s brilliant smile and a bit surprised at her response. “Runway, Inc. Mens, Womens, and Teens all under his watchful eyes.”  
  
Murmuring in appreciation as her heart flip-flopped, Miranda observed, “I see you’ve kept up to date.” Silence fell between them and then Andy lowered her gaze to look fixedly at her hands. “Andrea?” Miranda waited for Andy to look up. “I insisted on calling you, Andrea, because it is a beautiful name and you are a beautiful woman.” Miranda reached as if to touch Andy, but let her hand fall to her own knee. “I also did so because I wanted to be the only one to call you that.” Miranda paused as her heartbeat fluttered. “Calling assistants ‘Emily’ is partly what I do to throw off assistants, as you know. However I kept calling you Andrea for those reasons, not to insult you.” Nodding at Andy with a gentle smile, Miranda offered a concession, “If it is important to you, in the interest of peace—I’ll call you, Andy.”  
  
The shocked flashes across her face leaving Andy breathless and wide eyed. She whispers Miranda’s words for her own benefit. “For those reasons…” Turning wild questioning eyes on Miranda, Andy gasped in recognition.  
  
Miranda murmured. “Yes.”  
  
Swallowing and inching closer to Miranda, she said quietly. “You can call me, Andrea.” Then thinking of her daughter she questioned. “But Penny… Don’t do that to Penny.”  
  
This time Miranda did reach out and take Andy’s hand to assure her. “I won’t. You are quite right this is not Runway and I should keep the peace.”  
  
Hearing a gasp from the general direction of the kitchen, Andy scolded, “Penny, don’t spy!”  
  
The sound of glass shattering started a commotion. Penny apologized, Caroline reassured them they weren’t spying and Cassidy cleaned up. On the sofa the older women smiled at each other. It was a scene reminiscent of younger days with their children, only this time they were all together. They smiled at each other and with a nod walked to the edge of the kitchen. “Why were you spying, girls?” Miranda asked the twins, while Andy eyed Penelope.  
  
Shrugging sheepishly Caroline admittedly, “Well, we left you alone and realized it was too quiet and that maybe was a bad idea.”  
  
With wide eyes Penny added, “They told me that you were most effective in a whisper.” Andy gasped and pointed a finger at her daughter who had the grace to blush.  
  
“That’s right, dear.” Miranda said with her cat swallowed the canary smile.  
  
Turning back to the silver haired matriarch, “Miranda. You promised.” Andy scolded as she bit her lip.  
  
Andy could not remember seeing Miranda amused, but her words certainly were teasing. “Andrea, you take all the fun out of the being a mother-in-law.”  
  
Smiling sweetly Andy sing-songed back, “A new peace is a fragile peace, Miranda.”  
  
Pursing her lips Miranda murmured, “Touche.”  
  
Her stomach growling Cassidy asked, “Um. Can we eat?”  
  
Disdainfully Miranda pointed out, “The paparazzi are no doubt outside.”  
  
Knowing the truth of that from her entrance to the house, Andy turned to her daughter, “Pen, honey. Do you have your favorites here? Do you have enough?”  
  
In a move that Miranda recognized as her mother’s from so many years ago, Penny tilted her head thinking about what was in the cupboards at Carol’s house. Nodding she enthused, “Yeah. That’d be awesome, mom.”  
  
Wistful Miranda watched as the mother/daughter pair busied themselves in her daughter’s kitchen. It warmed her heart and saddened her in equal measures. The twins shared various stories about their lives catching up with their mother as they set the back patio table. Shortly Andy joined them at the table with tomato bacon grilled cheese sandwiches with strawberries on the side. Penny followed behind her with glasses and the water pitcher. Sitting across from each other at the circular table Andy and Miranda held eyes until they each shied away looking around them. “What a beautiful garden, Carol. So romantic.” Andy smiled at their host happy that everyone was on happier ground now.  
  
Cassidy snickered, but stopped once her sister kicked at her under the table. Straightening up in her chair Cassidy cleared her throat as she gently stepped out onto the ice once more. “So it’s obvious that none of us had the whole story so we have some questions.”  
  
Carol picked up the thread, “Mom, you found out about us,” she pointed between herself and Penny, “Because of Cassidy and then you were pissed off because of page 6.” Miranda nodded.  
  
Giddy Penny turned toward Andy with her part. “Mom, you found out because we had rushed to meet you once we knew her mom was coming.” Andy nodded at her daughter thinking of that first meeting. “But you didn’t know until you got here who she was?”  
  
Andy scrunched up her features admitting, “I, uh, pieced it together when I saw the papers.”  
  
Continuing her turn, Penny followed up with, “So we want to know about you two.” She looked from her mom to Carol’s mom before raising her brows at Andy, “You unloaded on her like a wild animal. And you’re not like that.”  
  
Exclaiming in unison, the twins turned on their mom, “And you let her!”  
  
Cutting through their exuberance before the peace could be irrevocably ruined by a misplacement of energy or phrase, Andy answered, “I left your mother’s employ in Paris 19 years ago. I disagreed with a business decision that she made.”  
  
Quietly Miranda added, “Andrea’s heart was never in fashion. She wanted to be a writer, a journalist.” Her eyes were soft as she looked across the table at her erstwhile assistant.  
  
Cassidy heard Paris and gasped, “You didn’t blacklist her? She quit during fashion week?”  
  
Sighing Miranda continued to look at Andy as she addressed her daughter’s question, “I thought about it, but I couldn’t do that to someone who I respected for standing up to me and following her heart.”  
  
Confused Penny quietly pointed out, “But mom works in fashion just like you.”  
  
Hoping to avoid that conversation for the time being, Andy leaned forward telling her daughter, “Not exactly, Pen, hon.” Miranda looked at Andy quizzically, but Andy shook her head negative, so she let it go.  
  
Carol asked the next question, “Why are the tabloids interested in Penny’s dad and you?”  
  
Keeping it simple, Andy hoped to answer without dragging unnecessary details out, “He was involved in a backdoor deal with Irv Ravtiz to take your mom’s job at Runway.”  
  
Cassidy fixed her blue eyes on Andy, “How did you know? Wait, you worked for mom and you dated him?”  
  
Penny quietly answered for Andy, “Mom said he was a one-night-stand. He wasn’t who she thought he was. He wasn’t charming or sincere. He was a fraud.”  
  
A hush fell over the group as Andy reached out to hold Penny’s hand. Her heart breaks all over again that Penny didn’t have the dad she deserved. Miranda’s heart swelled in her chest watching what had to have been a lifetime conversation between the two.  
  
Cassidy’s tenacity couldn’t let go so she followed up as pieces of the story fit together in her mind, “You found out about the backdoor deal and that’s how he failed you? Isn’t it?”  
  
Andy nodded her simple agreement. “Yes.”  
  
Carol and Cassidy exchanged a look. “That was all 19 years ago, right? Andy and Christian in Paris and the plot against you and she quit.” They paused. “All at the same time?”  
  
Cassidy and Carol again looked at each other and nodded. “That was when Stephen left too, wasn’t it?”  
  
Miranda nodded wondering how astute her daughters were. It was long ago and they were only 10. She had kept her heart hidden all these years and hoped it would remain so. Her mental inquiry abruptly ended as Cassidy jumped up to take a call. Then the table of women showed a different kind of energy, as Andy reminded Penny they were supposed to go to Grant’s party.

 

 

 


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a summary, but I was amused at the notes about how long the story took. Apparently the first file was started MAY/2009 and then part 4 was originally posted JAN/2013.

_**Tom/Thom. Part 4/4.**_  
  
Talking with her daughters had never been just plain ‘awkward’ like most other families experienced. Instead it was a minefield of miscommunication and fireworks. Now her daughters were fellow adults, but that didn’t make it any easier, nor any less awkward. It was much simpler to be angry and swoop in to pull her daughter out of the scandal. Arriving to meet such a sweet young lady that had so captured her daughter’s heart had really made that difficult. The girl was so sweet, her eyes so earnest and soul-searching. It was no wonder she had reacted so poorly upon hearing the girl’s name was an abbreviation. Her heart was slammed fully into her chest when the woman Penny had reminded her of walked out of distant memory and into her face. Andrea on a rampage to save her little girl from the dragon—oh, she was so beautiful. It was ironic that the woman who had inspired the rage should come guns a-blazin’ to stamp on it.  
  
The paparazzi had a field day with the comments once they figured out who the crazy woman was parking her car on the front lawn. Somehow that didn’t matter after a restless night thinking of the love her daughter had found and the support of a woman who was strong enough to walk away from her. The house was quiet when she arrived and she was thankful that Lindsay or Paris had diverted their attention. They sat outside in the wild garden and Miranda couldn’t shake the image of Andrea sitting across from her. Caroline was in the kitchen finishing some breakfast for them. Andrea had been even more beautiful than she had remembered and Miranda wondered how that was possible. It took the wind right out of her to think that she had never had a chance to talk to her and now there was no chance of it mattering.  
  
Closing her eyes to focus, Miranda reminded herself she was here for Caroline. “What are your intentions regarding Penelope?” Miranda asked as Caroline brought their plates and sat down.  
  
“No rest.” Caroline muttered before taking a sip of her orange juice. ‘For the wicked,’ her mind helpfully supplied. “Mom.” Caroline said and looked at her mother, “can’t we just have a nice breakfast?”  
  
Miranda nodded and breaking eye contact she took a bite of her eggs. Caroline mirrored her and after a few moments of eating, Miranda quietly whispered. “Being in the tabloids adds incredible pressure, Caroline. It’s important to know what you want out of this relationship, if you are going to go through that.”  
  
Exasperated, Caroline set down her fork. “I get it. You don’t approve. We will manage and you’ll go back to New York.” Huffing out a sigh as she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears, Caroline finished, “You’ll go back to New York and the press will go away.” Caroline picked up her fork again and held it so hard that it shook. “Let’s just eat.”  
  
The silence strung out for a few moments until Miranda’s fingers gently rested atop Caroline’s still unmoving fork. “I approve, bobbsey. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”  
  
Looking up, Caroline was shocked to see shining tears in her mother’s eyes and the tell-tale tracks of a fallen few down her cheeks. “Mom!” Caroline dropped her fork and held her mother’s hand between her own. “What is it, mom?”  
  
Shaking her head slightly, Miranda wiped at her eyes with her other hand. “Nothing.” Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, Miranda pulled her hand away. Sitting up straighter she began to push her food around her plate.  
  
For the first time in a long time, Caroline looked at her mother as a real person—one with weaknesses, flaws, and a story of how she got that way. She thought of her mother slipping into her Runway persona in reaction to meeting Penny and how Andrea had stormed in without Miranda lashing out at her. Caroline took a bite of her breakfast and wondered about that. Why had her mom gone Runway on Penny? What had she done to inspire that? What was it about Penny? Andy… ‘That’s it!’ Her mind landed on the name—Andy, not Andrea. Penny had reminded her mother about Andy, before the woman had even walked into the room, and this morning, she was worried not about the press itself but the pressure of the coverage and the hurt she might experience.  
  
“You love Andrea.” Her mind put it together as her tongue translated it out loud into her words and before her mind’s editor could say, SHUT UP, it was out there in the air between them.  
  
Miranda dropped her fork, which was as good as a yes. She looked at Caroline in shock.  
  
Knowing she had to just keep going, Caroline added, “Penny reminded you of Andrea when you first came in, didn’t she? I’ll bet it was the eyes and that happy polite thing, wasn’t it?” Miranda blinked but neither confirmed, nor denied. “That’s why you slipped into Runway mode—to defend yourself against Andrea who used to work for you. She walked away in Paris and you let her.”  
  
Swallowing against the sudden dryness in her throat, Miranda whispered, “I had to let her go.”  
  
Tilting her head in contemplation of her mother, Carol replied, “That’s not like you.”  
  
Miranda reached up and folded the corner of her napkin up with her thumb and forefinger. “The divorce, Irv’s plot against me, there was a lot going on then.”  
  
Caroline narrowed her eyes reading between the lines, “You didn’t know.”  
  
Miranda throat hitched as she breathed in, “It was too late. She was gone.”  
  
The chair made a horrible scraping sound as Caroline pushed it back and stepped to her mother wrapping her arms around her narrow shoulders. “Oh, mom.” She said as Miranda’s arms came up around her to hold on tightly. Caroline held the hug longer than she had intended, but just as she was about to pull away, she felt her mother sob against her silently. “Mom.” Caroline said pulling her mother awkwardly up and into a hug. They stayed that way for many minutes as Miranda silently wept and Caroline held her.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
Taiko’s seemed to be the local place to be. Andy found it invigorating to be in such a youthful spot. Most people were animatedly talking, gesturing with their chopsticks as they talked, and having a good time. Part of her wanted to move to Irvine to drink in the youthful culture around the school and perhaps have more time with her daughter. She knew that Penny and Carol hadn’t been together more than a few months, but she felt that it had to be serious. There was no way that a Priestly, even disguised as a Tomlinson, would ever pull someone needlessly into the press. It had been one of Miranda’s personal rules of life after all—to keep her daughters out of the press.  
  
“What are you thinking about, mom?” Penny had to lean close in order to get her mom’s attention without shouting. She was glad that they were at the bar where they could watch the sushi being made, and sit close enough to have a somewhat quiet conversation. It seemed like it was easier to have a difficult conversation between them if there was a way to look away. She thought back to their previous conversation about life on that patio off of Sunset Boulevard. Yes, distractions were good for picking away at the difficult things little by little.  
  
“Miranda always fought to keep her girls out of the press, you know.” Andy wasn’t sure if that was really what she was thinking about or if she should even share that with her daughter.  
  
“You miss her.” Penny said it thoughtfully as if she hadn’t finished her process, but was seeing how the words sounded first. Then she added, “You’ve always missed her.” She pulled at her mom’s arm hoping that she would look at her.  
  
“Pen, hon. Don’t.” Her words held a tone of loss that Penny had dreaded since moving out two years earlier to go to college. Now she felt certain that her mom was lonely, only it was worse than just her moving out, she had been lonely since before Penny was born.  
  
“I’m right though, mom.” Penny felt her throat get tight and her eyes burn and knew what was coming. She breathed in and ate a few pieces of ginger to snap herself out of the tears. “You haven’t dated seriously, if at all, my whole life. You always said you were busy or wanted to set a good example for me by keeping stability. The truth was that you wanted her and couldn’t have her.”  
  
Andy’s first instinct was to push her chair away with her legs, throw a few bills on the counter and walk out. Had it been anyone besides her daughter, that was surely what she would have done. Instead she closed her eyes and fought back the desire to run away from the truth. “It doesn’t matter, Pen. Let it go.” The rest of the meal passed in near total silence for them amidst all of the youthful exuberance.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
“You’ve seen them.” Carol hissed at her sister. She hoped that Penny would sleep for a while. They were supposed to go out for breakfast, but this was the first she had been able to talk to her sister since that breakfast with her mother.  
  
“I don’t see what you see, sister. Just ‘cuz you’re gay doesn’t mean everyone else is.” Cass really did see the connection between the two moms the same as her sister did, but that didn’t mean she would skip on a chance to tease her.  
  
“They are quiet with each other.” Carol couldn’t believe her sister couldn’t see the truth in front of her.  
  
“Mom’s always quiet, especially when she’s pissed.” Cass thought it was too easy to mess her sister sometimes.  
  
“No, this is different. They touch hands and just seem like they are in a bubble separate from us sometimes.” Carol scowled as she saw the smug grin on her sister’s face as she tried to hide her amusement. “You’re horrible.”  
  
Penny strutted into the kitchen in yoga pants and a white tank top. She dropped a kiss on Carol’s head and asked, “Why is she horrible?”  
  
Cassidy laughed and answered for her sister. “She was pointing out the connection between our mom’s and I was pretending I didn’t see the obvious.”  
  
Penny’s jaw dropped and in a horrified voice she asked for clarification, “What are you talking about?” She stepped away from her lover and the evil twin.  
  
Carol groaned, if her lover didn’t approve of the connection between Miranda and Andy, then life was going to be difficult. “Uh, Penny, baby, your mom and mine seem to like each other.”  
  
Shaking her head and thanking her lucky stars for the drama program at Santa Monica High School, Penny scrunched her face up with the expression of disbelief, “Like each other?” Penny asked as if she couldn’t understand, then she added, “Yeah, they seem to be friends after that first show down.”  
  
Cassidy laughed as Carol looked up to the heavens and rested back all the way in her seat. Unable to keep the façade any longer, Penny laughed too. Carol shot out of her seat and swatted the younger woman on the ass. “You two are so not funny!” However the resulting volume increase in the laughter quickly drew her in.  
  
Once they had calmed considerably, Penny sighed. “It so sad that they’ve wasted 19 years.”  
  
Carol nuzzled into Penny’s neck as she held her in a side hug, “Yeah, but then I’d have had a hot little step-sister that was annoying, instead of a beautiful woman to love.”  
  
“There is that.” Penny said as she turned to kiss Carol.  
  
“Ugh. Let’s go to breakfast before I lose my appetite completely.” Cassidy groaned as she stood and made for the door.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
The living room coffee table had been moved out of the way and the song was familiar and ‘old’. Andrea set her bag down just inside the room and took in the re-organizing with a smile. Her daughter and Carol were doing a poorly executed waltz. Cassidy was trying to give them pointers, but it was obviously not working. Andy felt her heart melt at the young lover’s, the love song on the stereo, and the beauty of youth learning about life and love so purely.  
  
“What is this?” She gently interrupted as Alicia Key’s ‘Falling’ came on.  
  
Flustered the youngsters dropped arms and turned to Penny’s mom. “Carol has to go to this thing for work. There will be dancing in addition to regular dancing.” Penny rolled her eyes and Andy shook her head. Sometimes her daughter reminded her of the best parts of her father and she had to smile.  
  
“Penny, you know how to waltz.” Andy scolded her only daughter.  
  
Shrugging and curling her lip, Penny lifted her arms in an apologetic manner. “I forgot.”  
  
Andy shook her head and turned on the red heads. “I can’t believe that your mother didn’t make sure you knew how to waltz.” She narrowed her eyes at the twin look of sheepishness.  
  
“She tried—” Cassidy began.  
  
“We refused.” Carol finished for her sister.  
  
Looking down at her shoes, Andy toed them off and sized up her girls. “Who was trying to lead?” Carol raised her hand and lowered it quickly at Andy’s nod. “You watch then and I’ll point things out to you. Penny knows how to waltz, if you can lead.”  
  
They stopped off and on, with Andy pointing out where to put her hand and how to apply pressure in order to tell Penny what she wanted her to do. Carol struggled, but Penny having warmed up with her mom was now able to articulate the difference in what her mom did to lead and what Carol was doing. Finally Carol was able to lead Penny in the direction she intended all the way from box step and natural spin turn through open and closed change and a double reverse turn. Cassidy finally expressed a desire to learn the basics too, and they lost themselves in all coaching her.  
  
Miranda entered the room for dinner, confused by the scene but full of joy at the warmth and happiness in the room. Her daughter dancing with Penelope, no, Penny, was truly a wonderful thing and it made her heart clench to think of them finding such amazing happiness that had been so elusive in her own life. Then she tilted her head to take in the beauty that her other daughter was dancing with. The years had been incredibly kind to the brunette who was only starting to grey. She could almost imagine Cassidy a little older, or perhaps herself a little younger, dancing in the arms of the wonderful woman who had shown so much promise in their original acquaintance and then in her life in subsequent years. She had learned much in the weeks since her arrival in California. As the song ended and they parted, brown eyes froze her in place and she thanked her lucky stars that she had delayed her departure.  
  
Cassidy looked over Andy’s shoulder at her sister and then pushed Andy toward their mom. Andy shivered as she found herself approaching Miranda and remembered the only other time she had seen that mischievous look in a much younger red-head.  
  
Mandy Moore’s “Only Hope” began as Andy took Miranda’s hand asking in body language what her words could not. Stepping forward Miranda rested her left hand on Andy’s right shoulder and brought Andy’s hand in her own up so that they were in closed position. She looked into Andy’s eyes before assuming a ready stance and looking over Andy’s shoulder. After a few beats, Andy lead Miranda into the slow circling of the dance opposite Penny and Carol. Cassidy stepped back to provide them more room.  
  
Stopping to get their rhythm right, Penny and Carol share a few moments of eye contact. Andrea attempted to steer Miranda out of the way, but the youngsters suddenly started waltzing again with Penny’s back ramming into her mother’s back.  
  
Carol pulled Penny back to her and stopped the dance again. Off balance, Andrea stumbled forward, Miranda held onto her and they hit the wall breathing hard together. Andy remembered the look on Cassidy’s face and moved to push away from Miranda. Tightening her grip on the brunette, Miranda’s eyes questioned her. It was too much for Andy, who thought that she had tried so hard to keep her feelings hidden and now that would all be ruined.  
  
Giggles behind her caused her to stiffen and turn where she stood. Her eyes were flashing with anger, this would not be the first time that the twins had lead her into trouble. Without really comprehending it, she felt Miranda standing behind her and resting a hand on her shoulder. “What are you two playing at?” The ice in her voice hurt Andy’s heart, but it was better in the long run she supposed.  
  
When they only gulped in answer, Andy turned her eyes on her daughter who was obviously in on the prank. “And you?” She drew the word out in a calm whisper that even made the twins shiver.  
  
Carol was the first to walk out onto the plank. “You two have been in love with each other for 19 years.”  
  
Cassidy followed her twin out to what might be their death. “We just thought you should get a kiss or something out of it.”  
  
“What?” Both mothers said in unified shock.  
  
Not to be outdone, Penny stepped closer to the now intimidating pair and answered quietly, “Mom. You chose her over Christian even when you tried to be with him. You said so.”  
  
Carol stepped closer needing to protect her lover and to stress the truth to her mother. “You lost it when she left in Paris and pretended it was the divorce.”  
  
Feeling, literally, backed against the wall, Miranda shook her head and squeezed her hand on Andy’s shoulder indicating she wanted some space. “Don’t be ridiculous. Andrea has Grant and I simply refused to marry again. I didn’t intend to have another Page 6 failure.” Andy stepped forward, but didn’t let Miranda slip away as she took the older woman’s hand in her own.  
  
Penny smiled and corrected Miranda, “Grant is just the photographer mom uses the most. He throws amazing parties, but he’s gay.”  
  
Cassidy pushed back into the conversation addressing her mom like one of her clients, “And you didn’t marry because you didn’t date again. You had those weird friendships that passed for tabloid love and always seemed to have a goal for one or the both of you.”  
  
Carol nodded at this truth, adding, “Yeah. Mom. Your mission was owning and controlling Runway, Inc.”  
  
Penny noticed that her mom hadn’t stopped holding Miranda’s hand. They looked so beautiful there side by side. Miranda in her heels was slightly taller and for some reason that just made her smile even more. Pointing at her mother, Penny commented on her dating life of the last 19 years, “You pretended that being a mom and having a career were all you had time for. But that was because your heart was frozen in time.”  
  
Sighing, Andy smiled at her daughter and then turned to face Miranda. “I thought you were bossy.”  
  
Eyes twinkling with amusement, Miranda quipped back, “They come by it naturally then.”  
  
Both women squeezed the hand wrapped around their own. They searched each other’s faces for any hint of denial of the girls’ words. As the song faded away along with the girls and the room and the world, blue eyes settled on red lips, while brown eyes fluttered closed, and two amazing women leaned closer until their lips brushed in a questioning kiss followed by an firmer press in affirmative answer. As the pecks melted into a deeper kiss, their lips parting to share space with tongues, the cheers of three girls suddenly right there in the room with them broke the spell. Pulling away only enough to look into each other’s eyes, they smiled. “Dinner?” Miranda couldn’t help the purr in her voice.  
  
“My place?” Andy couldn’t help the smirk on her face.  
  
Nodding at their respective daughter’s the older women dropped hands long enough to hug their daughters and gather their belongings. Then they made their way toward the door, their hands naturally bumping into each other until they held. “Yes!” was the cheer cut off by the door shutting behind them.  
  
THE END.  
  
  
  
  
  
x


End file.
